Kitchen Call: Making the case for couscous

Monday

Apr 26, 2010 at 12:01 AMApr 26, 2010 at 10:49 PM

One intriguing ingredient is couscous. Author Paula Wolfert, in her 1973 volume “Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco,” defined couscous as “a thousand tiny pellets of grain, light, separate, and tender…”

Linda Bassett / Kitchen Call

Browsing that supermarket aisle of bins overflowing with loose grains and cereals, dried fruits and nuts, makes me just want to grab a scoop and start filling up little containers with all kinds of things. The question in my mind, depending on my experience with each of the contents, is “What on earth is that for?” or “How do I use this in something I already know?”

One intriguing ingredient is couscous. Author Paula Wolfert, in her 1973 volume “Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco,” defined couscous as “a thousand tiny pellets of grain, light, separate, and tender…” Back then, over 30 years ago, only rare, adventurous restaurants put the dish made from these grains on the menu. Over 30 years later, we recognize couscous as the Moroccan national dish — both the main ingredient and the finished dish made from it bearing the same name.

To make it, traditionally a fragrant stew is cooked in an earthenware pot and the grains cook in something like a double boiler over the top. Then the grains are fluffed into a serving dish, and the stew poured over them.

American kitchens lack the traditional cookware and buying it is a bit of an investment, so we’ve resorted to packaged mixes. Unfortunately, once you’ve tried a decent couscous in a restaurant — or were fortunate enough to visit Casablanca — you’re not gonna like the boxed stuff. Very easy to overcook, you can end up either with a pile of sticky mush or the opposite, little pellets crunching between your teeth.

So, I’ve resorted to my own method of cooking the grains. It involves simmering water or stock, adding the grains, and letting them stand in the hot water, followed by tasting until the texture is right: somewhat like Carolina rice, couscous should turn out light and fluffy with each grain separate. Stand by the pot those few minutes because it cooks up quickly. (I start testing after five minutes, then every two afterward.) This method turns out a dish that incorporates Moroccan flavors, tastes really great, and is admittedly heretical.

Anyway, if you’re on a budget, and you need to feed a crew for dinner, this is the way to do it. Add meat or skip it. Add vegetables, raisins and Moroccan spices, whatever you do. Don’t wait long hours for stew. And, if the grains seem too dry, gently fluff in a few tablespoons of olive oil or chicken stock.

MOROCCAN-STYLE COUSCOUS
Makes 8 servings (doubles easily)

This recipe is based on one in “The Casablanca Cookbook,” a fanciful melding of recipes and characters in the iconic movie. Quotes like, “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid” accompany the recipes. Casablanca itself is famous for mussel couscous, but the only food consumed in that movie was caviar.

1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir. Cover and return to very low heat until grains are tender but not mushy and chicken stock is nearly absorbed.

2. Add cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using, sprinkling each over the top. Fluff the mixture with a fork.

2. Place all prepared vegetables on large baking sheet in one layer. Toss with a couple of tablespoons olive oil until well coated. Roast in oven for 40 minutes, until the peppers start to singe around the edges. Remove from oven. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove a few grains and bite into them to test: grains should be tender and separate. Drain any excess water.

4. Transfer couscous to a serving bowl; add vegetables; fluff gently with a fork to mix.

SUMMER COUCOUS SALAD
Makes 6 servings

Cherry tomatoes from Maine’s greenhouses are good now, so don’t wait for summer.

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt; stir. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove a few grains and bit into them to test: grains should be tender and separate. Drain any excess liquid.

2. Transfer couscous to a large shallow serving bowl and fluff gently with a fork. When cooled, add remaining ingredients. Fluff gently with a fork to mix.

Linda Bassett is the author of “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai: Neighborhood Cooking North of Boston.” Reach her by e-mail at KitchenCall@aol.com.